The NFL kicked off began with a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. Titans Cam Newton and Von Miller clashed again– this time in the top of the Rocky Mountains.
This rematch was completely different than Super Bowl in what has become an instant classic and another Broncos 4th quarter comeback.
With nine seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Panthers’ kick veered to the left giving the Broncos a 21-20 victory.
These are NOT the same teams that faced off in San Francisco. Denver sent their Hall-of-Fame quarterback off into the blue and orange sunset while placing one into the saddle who has never thrown a pass in a regular season game. The Panthers have reloaded their arsenal with a healthy Kelvin Benjamin back in the line up. Benjamin was out all of last season and did not face the Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Panthers had to face another domineering aspect of the Broncos which they did not face in the Super Bowl– the altitude and the crowd noise of the Mile High City.
Panthers were first on the board with a 4:24 minute drive after a recovered fumble from rookie running back Dante Booker. This 71 yard drive was capped when Newton connected with Benjamin for a 14 yard touchdown.
Denver’s next drive ended with another turnover when Siemian was intercepted. In their third possession, Denver drove the ball for 80 yards and into the endzone with a 28-yard run by the rookie fullback Andy Janovich.
Carolina’s next score came with a two yard rushing touchdown by Newton. Panthers added three more points to their lead before halftime with a 17-7 lead over the defending Super Bowl champions.
Denver came out of the locker room with the momentum to shut down Carolina’s passing game and put pressure on Newton. Demarcus Ware tallied two sacks on the night while Chris Harris, Jr. went into the books with an interception that helped set up the Broncos for a comeback. The Broncos posted 14 unanswered points in the second half with CJ Anderson’s pair of touchdowns– one rushing and one receiving.
The Panthers came within one point of the Broncos and had a chance to win the game with a field goal in the final seconds of the game. After the Broncos called a timeout to ice the kicker, Gary Kubiak crouched on the sidelines and kept his gaze toward the ground– unable to watch the culminating play of the game.
The Broncos were able to overcome a 10 point deficit with three turnovers and a quarterback who has never thrown a regular season pass to win the game 21-20.
